Please Permanent Ban of Primate Experimentation at UConn !

deckers@nso.uchc.edu, Philip.austin@uconn.edu, dfriend@alvarezandmarsal.com, goldberg@nso1.uchc.edu, rhennessey@oscient.com, gerard.burrow@yale.edu, james.abromaitis@po.state.ct.us, j.robert.galvin@po.state.ct.us, bcarlson@adp.uchc.edu, walter@nso.uchc.edu, lalande@uchc.edu, sarmstrong@uchc.edu, yas@pobox.upenn.edu, paplauskas@adp.uchc.edu, jlorenzo@nso2.uchc.edu, pohl@uchc.edu

Dear UCHC Administrators and Board members:  In light of the recent research misconduct uncovered in David Waitzman's nonhuman primate lab and the school's subsequent termination of the protocol, as a Connecticut resident and person who abhors cruelty, I am requesting that the UConn Health Center enact a permanent moratorium on the use of all nonhuman primates in all biomedical research at all University-affiliated facilities and that the University administration guarantee citizens that the new facility in the former FarmTech building, which is currently well-equipped to confine up to 60 more nonhuman primates, will not be used to conduct research on NHPs.  Every area of research in which NHPs have been used provides evidence against its utility. As a forerunner in progressive science, it is the University's obligation to employ ethical, humane research practices. The use of nonhuman primates for experimentation, in any capacity, is a clear violation of this imperative, as their capacity for suffering is undeniable. Furthermore, it is abundantly clear that researchers at the Health Center are unable to abide by even the most rudimentary animal protection guidelines.  I look forward to the announcement of a positive resolution to this situation.  Sincerely,